A Certain Situation
by annemarieisms
Summary: [Brick] After coming to terms with the death of Emilie Kostich, Brendan Frye learns that a new Pin has surfaced and once again enlists the assistance of Brain to get the straight.
1. The Funeral

I do not own **"Brick"** or any mentioned characters or situations.  
---------------

Rain hit the cover of the dark casket, bouncing off into the muddy ground beneath it. The silence in the group allowed the tiny drops of water to actually be heard spattering against the heavy wood. He heard it well, even from his place away from the others.

He wiped his hand across his glasses, keeping the cold rain from fogging them. It was useless in the downpour but he didn't need to see anyway. The reality sunk in a long time ago, when he found her near the tunnel- it was easier to look at her then, not now confined to a box forever.

His worn, grey jacket hugged his shoulders tightly against the wind. The dreary weather had started early that morning with no signs of stopping.

What a day for a funeral.

He had never been to a funeral before this week, there was never a need for it. But the last few days, everything seemed to be caving in at once. Dode, The Pin, Tug. Poor Frisco finally went under after another month. Dode was an accident, not supposed to have happened. But the Pin and his muscle, he didn't feel anything for it.

And then there was Em, the forgotten victim. The papers only mentioned her name once or twice after the bulls raided the pow-wow that night. Every article was focused on the Pin and Dode's murder, but not how a hot-headed Tug killed an innocent and pregnant teenage girl and left her body in a dark tunnel. Busting the biggest dope dealer in the Burgh- that would always make the headlines first. All that mattered was his own knowledge. He had gotten the straight, and definitely broke some deserving teeth like he planned.

The casket was lowered now, finally invisible from view. He was able to look again. The small group of people backed away, covering their grieving faces. Kara was there, eyes brimming with forced tears. Out of all the people that he would like to have seen get what they deserved, she had managed to stay under the radar. The others were strangers, most likely more rats that hung around behind the pie house.

He hadn't realized before now how desperate she was for human contact. She did tell him that, but he was too busy trying to protect her, hide her away from the world.

"_I just couldn't handle life with you anymore."_

If he could have convinced her then that she was wrong, he wouldn't have to stand there watching the only person he ever loved being lowered into the ground.

Footsteps came along side of him, breaking the uneasy silence that had formed.

"_Brendan, it's been awhile."_

"_A week now," _he answered._ "What have you been doing?"_

"_Been at home. Getting some rest."_

"_Good, you needed it."_

"_Yeah. I figured I should come out today though."_

Silence.

"_I'm…really sorry, Brendan."_

Silence.

"_I mean, I knew her as long as you did."_

More silence.

"_So…word on the street is that there's a new Pin. He's already getting around with the upper crust."_

"_Yeah?"_

History always did have a way of repeating itself. Sooner or later, there was going to be more heat, another war.  
Before he wouldn't have cared, he already did what he had to do. But the players were still out there. People like Kara would be moving up now that everything was under new management. He wasn't going to let it get that far this time. He'd have to start small though; corner the rest of Em's old group before moving on to the big game.

He wiped his hand over his glasses again as the rain finally started to let up. Stuffing his hands into his pockets and pulling his jacket tighter against him, he turned to his side.

"_I need you to OP."_

The Pin warned him before._  
"You're coming into a certain situation."_

A new Pin in the Burgh meant another situation and like the last time…

There wasn't much chance of coming out clean.


	2. First Day Back

Four o' clock. Del Rio and Sarmentosa.

He leaned against the dirty glass of the phone booth, kicking his heel against the curb. He'd been waiting since three o' clock.

He sank down on the grey sidewalk and counted the cracks at his feet. The déjà vu bothered him- he half expected to see Laura's cigarette still rolled to the side of the street. It took all of his will power not to look across the road to the adjacent booth. He could almost hear their conversation on the wind.

_"I really screwed up."_

The shrill ringing pierced the silence. Somehow the tone sounded ominous in a way it never had. He got up and opened the sliding door, jamming himself into the tightly confined space. His hand shook as he wrapped his fingers around the receiver.

_"Brain?"_

_"Brendan."_

_"Where've you been?"_

_"Tailing Kara, like you asked."_

_"Yeah? Anything interesting?"_

_"She went straight home."_

_"That only takes twenty minutes. What took so long to call?"_

Silence.

_"Brain?"_

_"She wasn't alone."_

_"She shacking up with someone else now?"  
__"I thought so at first, but whoever it is…they aren't staying there. She picked him up on the corner by the pie house."_

_"Any idea who it was?"_

_"Average looking guy. Not upper crust material, not pie pan grease. Never seen him before, and he's not muscle for anyone I know of."_

He tapped the receiver against his chin, and rested his forehead against the hot glass, thinking.

_"When did he leave?"_

_"About a half hour afterwards."_

_"On foot?"_

_"Nah, car. Picked him up outside. Rusty piece of trash, couldn't tell what kind."_

_"Get a glimpse of the driver?"  
__  
"No, they took off too fast."_

Silence.  
_  
"Alright. Tail Kara again tomorrow. If her new friend shows up, make sure to keep an eye on him. "_

_"What are you going to do?"_

_"I need to think some stuff over."_

The receiver clicked. He took a deep breath of stale air and stumbled out of the grimy enclosure. With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, he walked stiffly along the sidewalk, destination unknown.

Kara flew under the radar the first time around, but she would just as soon turn around and stick a knife in his back than let him waltz right onto the scene again and get involved. If Kara was moving up the crust, which he suspected, he couldn't get close enough to tell. She would have her claws in every rat in the Burgh by now. He was surprised some muscle hadn't already bashed his skull in for some hot headed revenge, or at least to keep him quiet just in case.

Then again…most of them didn't care about who was giving out the junk, just as long as they got it. There would always be a replacement, so they wouldn't give it a second thought. But Kara…Kara was clever. She would use anything to her advantage, he knew that. It was time to use that to _his_ advantage.

-----

Del Rio and Sarmentosa. He squeezed back into the booth and quickly dialed.

_"Brendan?"_

_"Change of plans. Tomorrow…I just need you to keep an eye on the players. Brad Bramish's crew, Laura's friends. See what you can stir up. Stay low."_

_"What about Kara?"_

_"Leave that to me." _


	3. Deal with a Devil

**A/N**  
Most of this chapter is mainly dialogue.  
I have to admit, I really had no clue where I was going with this fic, but I re-wrote it a tiny bit to send it in an actual direction.  
The next chapter (expect it shortly) will have more bulk details and descriptions instead of the pesky dialogue.  
And you have my word that it won't have a terrible future plot/ending. Bear with me.

-------------------

_"Here for the show?"  
_The silky voice glided around his ears, making them burn with a mix of anger and pity.

_"Never am."  
_

_"Then that leaves me suspicious, Brendan,"_ she said, watching him intently in the reflection of a hand mirror.

_"Does it?"  
_

The red lipped beauty stood stiffly out of the straight back chair and stalked around him like a hawk circling it's prey. Beautiful but dangerous.

_"Should I be suspicious, Brendan? Is that what you want?"  
_

_"I'm not here to play mind games,"_ he replied.

_"Then what are you here for?"  
_

_"A proposition."  
_

_"What sort of proposition?"  
_

_"Immunity."  
_

Her brows arched high, that dark sparkle left her eyes.

_"From what?"  
_

_"Clueless doesn't work on you, doll,"_ he said. _"There's a new Pin in town and I wouldn't be surprised if some rat stuck a knife in my stomach to keep me from starting another pow-wow."  
_

_"Why come to me about it?"  
_

_"Because I have a mind that thinks you're in deeper control than you let on."  
_

Her face twitched unpleasantly, her lasting, uncomfortable gaze had a thoughtful underside to it. She was contemplating, he knew_. _

_"You know Brendan," _she began, that dark sparkle back and gleaming._ "You're a whole lot smarter than you look."  
_

_"I'd like to think so."  
_

_"Then you should act like it and keep your business to yourself and ours to ours." _

_"Ours?" _

The silence was deadly.

_  
__"I can't help you." _

_"Pity,"_ he said, letting the sarcasm drip from his lips. _"It would have been worth your while."  
_

She leaned back in the chair, legs crossed in front of her. He could plainly see that she was fighting her own curiosity.

_"Let's hear it."  
_

_"You keep the muscle away from me long enough to get in, I'll keep your name out of it when it all blows up."  
_

_"That's assuming that I'm in control. If I'm not, that'd be an empty proposition for you, wouldn't it? And also assuming I can't keep my own name out of it…"  
_

_"I'm not one for empty assumptions."  
_

_"No?"  
_

_"No. I think you've got better connections this time. No more pie pan grease like Dode holding you back. But not quite so connected that you're safe from being picked out of a line up when the time comes. I can think of ten rats off the top of my head that wouldn't give a second thought about naming names just for the sake of dragging you down with them."  
_

_"You really are smarter than you seem," _she said smoothly._ "But I don't think your own curiosity with the Pin is enough for me to risk my pretty neck."  
_

_"Curiosity has nothing to do with it, neither does the Pin. There's some rats that slipped through the crack last time around. That's the only thing I'm worrying about."  
_

_  
"Brendan, Brendan, Brendan. You expect me to believe this isn't about the Pin?"  
_

_"The last Pin made it personal. This one…there's no reason to try to get in the middle of whatever he's running. I just want to see the rest of Em's old group hang."  
_

_"Still playing hero, Brendan?"  
_

_"I try."  
_

_"The world is full of Emilys. You can't possibly save them all, can you?"  
_

He looked for a moment before shoving his hands deep into his pockets and turned for the door.  
_"Have a nice show."  
_

_"Brendan!"  
_

He held his breath and leaned back into the doorway.

_"You keep my name out of it, and I'll put in a word. You involve yourself however you want with the low chain grease rats to ease your own pain, but stay away from the Pin. If you fuck yourself into a corner with things that don't concern you, my word disappears." _

She smiled sweetly, and applied another layer of ruby red lipstick while looking in her hand-held compact.  
_"But I know you Brendan. You won't be able to help yourself once you get too far in the game."  
_

_"Gee. I must be really predictable."_


End file.
